Coming Home
by ShitaeTenshi
Summary: In a race against time the former Gundam pilots try to stop two experiments. But the experiments have their own agenda. Complete
1. Chapter 1

Title: Coming Home  
Author: ShitaeTenshi (shitaetenshi (at) hotmail . com)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing  
General Warnings: some OOC (trying to keep that to a minimum), angst  
Summary: In a race against time the former Gundam pilots try to stop two experiments. But the experiments have their own agenda.  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: post EW  
Pairings: 1+2+3+4+5, 2+H, no romantic relationships (and no whining about it!)

Quick Key  
"blah" speaking  
'blah' thoughts

—

"I'm sorry to have pulled all of you off of your prior cases but this new one needs your unique experience." Une looked at the five young men sitting around the conference table, dreading what she was about to reveal. "All of the information we've been able to retrieve is in this folder." She slid a brown accordion folder to the center of the table; no one moved to look at it. "This takes top priority; anything you need just name it."

Duo let out a whistle. "Damn. Okay Une, what's gotten you so spooked?"

"I must ask as well." Scrutinizing Une, Wufei leaned forward slightly. "What could you possible need the five of us for?"

Une clenched her right hand, gaining some confidence from that small gesture. "You'll find the information…"

"I believe we'd like to hear it from you," Quatre gently interrupted her, smiling slightly, trying to put her at ease.

Her shoulders slumping slightly, Une gave in. "We have discovered a hidden laboratory using one of the abandoned mining asteroids for their base. They were conducting two types of research there; one mixing human and animal DNA, the other hooking human brains to computers." She met their eyes, her own haunted. "There are two experiments missing, the last ones, and the only successful ones, from both tests. From what we've been able to determine, both of them are on their way here to Earth for unknown reasons."

"And the ones doing this research?" Heero prompted, wondering just what had caused the nearly unflappable commander to lose it.

Une squared her shoulders. "The five of you already know the scientists. After all, each one helped train you." Looks of disbelief met her statement.

"You're telling me those fuckers lived!" Duo exploded up, hands braced on the table as he stared at Une, his jaw working though nothing else came out. All she could do was nod. Collapsing back into the seat, Duo stared blankly at the wall. "Well fuck."

"Your command of the English language never fails to amaze me Maxwell," Wufei dryly quipped, pulling the folder over and opening it. A stream of Chinese escaped as he looked at the pictures.

Trowa arched an eyebrow. "Is that even possible for a water buffalo?" Snarling, Wufei threw a picture across the table. With a flutter it landed between Trowa and Quatre, face up. Trowa hissed when he saw it.

"Merciful Allah," Quatre breathed in horror, the blood draining from his face. Moving slowly, he raised his head to stare at Une. "How many?" he choked out.

"Over a hundred between the two experiments." Une glanced at the photo, turning away with a shudder.

Morbidly curious, Duo reached across the table, pulling the small photo over; Heero leaning over his shoulder. They both stiffened in outrage, the photo falling from Duo's nerveless fingers, fluttering to the table once more. The innocent picture peered up, heedless of the effect it's content caused. "We'll need a shuttle," Duo calmly stated, staring at the far wall, his eyes hooded. "We'll need to examine the site ourselves and see what else we can uncover."

"At least two of us should stay here," Quatre's eerily calm voice joined Duo. "Heero and Duo should be the ones to go to the site while Trowa and Wufei contact the various Earth-side spaceports, find out what you can about their schedules and procedures. I'll go through the current information; we'll conference again once the three of us staying dirtside have done our first tasks."

"I'll get the Preventer shuttle cleared immediately. It will be ready for you when you get to the station." The four moved, brushing past Une, their faces deceptively calm. Une shuddered, understanding just what was in store for those that had dared anger the former Gundam pilots.

"Une," Quatre watched the Commander shudder slightly as she met his icy eyes. "Do not let anyone in here until I leave." He pulled the folder over, casually dismissing her. She nodded and left, leaning against the door, eyes closed.

"Commander?"

Her eyes snapped open, pinning Trainee Martin. "Make sure no one enters this room until Agent Winner leaves." Her eyes narrowed, stopping Trainee Martin before he could ask. "No one, not you, not me, not the Ministers. Understand?"

"Y…Yes Ma'am." Trainee Martin shakily saluted her, taking her place before the door as she moved down the hallway.

Inside the conference room Quatre pored over the information, shoving his horror to one side as he worked. On the other side of the table, forgotten, sat the lone picture, a picture of a small boy suspended in a clear, liquid-filled tube, an air mask over his mouth and nose. He was anchored in place by multiple straps, under his arms, around his waist and by his ankles. The picture had been taken from the side, showing his profile and what had happened to the back of his head. The entire back of the skull, and part of the crown, had been removed, exposing the brain. A mass of wires led from the brain of that small boy up to the top of the tube and to the small computer housed there. A digital display flashed his status: died during operation, to be studied further.

—

A/N

Well, that's the beginning. It's a weird little fic that popped into my head and wouldn't leave. Hope people enjoy, it's going to be an interesting ride (grin). As always, reviews are welcome, especially critiques, any flames will be used to make smores.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Coming Home  
Author: ShitaeTenshi (shitaetenshi (at) hotmail (dot) com)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing  
General Warnings: some OOC (trying to keep that to a minimum), angst  
Summary: In a race against time the former Gundam pilots try to stop two experiments. But the experiments have their own agenda.  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: post EW  
Pairings: 1+2+3+4+5, 2+H, no romantic relationships (and no whining about it!)

Quick Key  
"blah" speaking  
'blah' thoughts

—

True to her word, Une had the shuttle prepped and ready for Heero and Duo just as they arrived to the spaceport. The two agents boarded quickly, dismissing the crew currently aboard. As soon as the last one left Duo took the pilots seat, starting up the small shuttle. His eyes glowed as he worked, the only sign of his feelings. "Control, this is shuttle P-195 requesting immediate hookup and tow, do you copy?"

"This is Control, we've got an opening on the launcher in fifteen minutes. The truck is on its way and should be there soon." The person up in the tower sounded quite pissed that his schedule was being thrown out the window by a couple of hot-shot agents, barely adult hot-shot agents at that.

"Roger that." Duo flicked the switch, turning his end off. Not like he wanted to speak with the man up there anyways. He leaned back, mentally plotting a course to take them to the abandoned laboratory; Quatre had found the coordinates, immediately informing the two of them.

Heero watched the almost mechanical movements of his newly assigned partner. He couldn't find fault with Quatre for breaking up their normal working pairs; after all, he and Duo were the ones best suited for this part. A part of him shuddered as he remembered how Quatre had sounded when he called; the last time Quatre had sounded like that was just before he'd destroyed a colony while piloting Zero.

"Hey Heero, check the course for me?"

Sitting forward, Heero quickly scanned the screen in front of him, one eyebrow arching. He did some rapid calculations and turned to face Duo. "You want to go to the far side of the asteroid?"

Duo shrugged, watching the tow truck draw closer. "We'll need to see what's there and we won't get a better chance to. If there's a secondary docking port that's where it'll be."

"Fine." Heero leaned back into the seat, securing the various straps as the truck hooked up, jarring both of them. Muttering curses under his breath Duo strapped himself in, hands back on the controls the moment the straps were secured. Apparently the guy in the truck shared the opinion of Control. Minutes later they flew up from the launcher and free of Earth's gravity. Not bothering to conserve fuel Duo had the thrusters at full; the faster they got there the better. Duo just wondered how the lead agent on scene would react.

—

"I understand. Thank you for your time." Trowa leaned back as he shut off the vidphone.

"Last one?" Wufei asked from the doorway, a pile of papers hugged close to his chest.

"Mmm. All the ports are on alert. Anything that deviates from their procedures we'll be informed of." He nodded at the papers. "Hard copies of their schedules?"

"Yes and no." Wufei carefully made his way over, depositing the pile onto Trowa's desk. Separating it into two piles, he explained. "These," he tapped one pile, "are the hardcopies of every flight plan submitted to the port Preventers uses. These," he tapped the other pile, "are their computer counterparts." Wufei scowled at the two piles. "It's the only way we'll find a hacked flight plan."

"Merde," Trowa softly swore, realizing that all the spaceports would need the same treatment.

"It gets better," Quatre called as he joined the two, closing the door behind him. "According to the initial data, the shuttle the two stole was designed by G with a far superior stealth system than even Deathscythe." He placed the folder beside the papers, his eyes hard as he stared at them. "And the two, Aaron and Ellie, have been trained and programmed to take out certain targets. Their identity is currently unknown."

"Merde." The word seemed insufficient as it tried to describe the situation they now found themselves in. Each one mentally prayed Heero and Duo would find the names of those targets, before it was too late.

—

Duo carefully maneuvered the shuttle, docking perfectly. They hadn't found a second hanger, not even an airlock when they checked the far side of the asteroid. And that nagged at Duo. He'd always made sure wherever he went, he had at least two ways out, even if he had to make them. Try doing that to a pressurized asteroid, and well…

"There would have been other docks when this was being mined," Heero unconsciously echoed Duo's worry. "When they took over I'm sure they only sealed them."

Duo glanced at Heero as he finished powering down the shuttle. "Don't know about you Yuy, but all I saw out there was rock."

"Camouflage."

Duo grunted, his mind turning over that small idea. "Alter 'Scythes stealth unit to project rock instead of airlock or hanger. Yeah, that'd work. Damn, that means we'll hafta physically verify each exit is closed."

"Not if the initial team was any good." Heero glanced at the small command center as he finished unbuckling, recognizing only three of the six people in there. "Agent Meyers is colony-born; as long as he's in charge it's been checked."

"And if he isn't we've got some legwork to do." After a final check the two agents made their way to the command center, Duo cheerfully greeting everyone they encountered along the way. Everyone seemed surprised to see them; the agent in charge kept a lid on this little development.

They met up with agent Meyers Just as he left the command center. "Yuy, Maxwell," the older agent nodded in greeting. "If you'll follow me." He took off at a brisk clip, not giving the ex-pilots time to question him. Heero and Duo shared a look before quickly catching up; both could understand the older agents ire. Meyers led them to a small office style room, one that had initially seen duty as a doctor's room.

"Let me get directly to the point," Meyers threw over his shoulder as he strode to the other side of the desk, the only piece of furniture in the room. "I don't like anyone taking over an assignment I've started. And I really don't like being there to see them screw it up. Even though the Commander re-assigned this to you it is still my case." He pinned each of them in turn, irated further when neither showed any signs of being cowed.

"We understand your position," Duo tried to placate him. "We were all pulled off of our cases and assigned to this one." His eyes glowed slightly, "You think I'm happy that someone else gets to arrest that child raper?" As quickly as that snarl got out Duo regained his control. "Regardless, Une assigned us because of who's involved." He grinned brightly, throwing Meyers slightly off balance. "Just think of us as independent consultants."

"What have you discovered since sending that initial report?" Heero interjected, stopping Meyers before he could respond to Duo's suggestion.

Meyers frowned slightly, eyes flickering between the two. "You've read that report?"

"We know what's in there," Duo assured him, his cheeky grin disappearing as he focused.

"Right then. We found the secondary hanger and signs that it'd been used in a hurry. And a bunch of airlocks, all covered with some kind of energy field. We noted their locations and checked them outside but…"

"All you found was rock," Heero finished, shooting a small grin at Duo. "Camouflage."

"Alright Yuy, you win that one," Duo grudgingly gave in. "What about the five scientists?"

One eyebrow arched at their exchange, Meyers continued. "We've reason to believe that four of them escaped using the secondary hanger. I figure that attempt is what our sensors picked up on."

Heero frowned slightly as he caught a particularly worrying bit of information. Duo beat him to it, though.

"Only four?" Duo's forehead creased slightly as he frowned. "How'd you figure that?"

Meyers smirked, the expression rather unsettling. "Because one of them, in exchange for a lighter sentence, is actually helping us. Claims he was kept in the dark about the two human projects."

"And you believe him!" Duo stared aghast at Meyers, even Heero startled.

"He's kept under constant guard, him and that … girl he saved." Meyers scowled. "I hate to admit it, but without his help we'd be shooting in the dark. I have some damned good computer people on my team but these systems…" Meyers shook his head, awed and frustrated.

"I'll help with those," Heero volunteered. "If you'll show me where they're working."

"And I'd like ta speak to this co-operative scientist." Duo grinned, Meyers backing up half a step at the sight. "Let's see how helpful he's really feeling."

"Right." Meyers drew a breath, steadying himself. In the back of his mind he wondered if, just maybe, their reputations were deserved.

—

A/N

And the weirdness continues. Many thanks to those of you that have reviewed; every one is appreciated! For those of you new to my writing, I try to answer questions within the bulk of the story. I find it makes that story more … hmm … suspenseful. As always, reviews are welcome, especially critiques, any flames will be used to make smores.


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Coming Home  
Author: ShitaeTenshi (shitaetenshi (at) hotmail (dot) com)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing  
General Warnings: some OOC (trying to keep that to a minimum), angst  
Summary: In a race against time the former Gundam pilots try to stop two experiments. But the experiments have their own agenda.  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: post EW  
Pairings: 1+2+3+4+5, 2+H, no romantic relationships (and no whining about it!)

Quick Key  
"blah" speaking  
'blah' thoughts

—

Wufei placed the last file down, stretching and sighing.

"Anything?" Trowa glanced up, comparing two flight plans.

"Nothing, the DC port is clean. How's the London port looking?" He leaned back, enjoying this small break. Trowa just shook his head. A small sound from Quatre immediately gained their attention.

"Here," Quatre spread out the pages he'd been comparing, letting the others look. "The initial plans call for a noon landing but it's been pushed back to almost the next morning with no accompanying change request. And its path took it close to that laboratory." Quatre leaned back, watching the other two. "It's worth investigating."

Nodding slightly, Trowa looked closely at the plans. "Shall we greet them when they land?" Fierce grins answered his question.

—

The door slamming shut was the only indicator of Duo's mood when he rejoined Heero later that day. The self-proclaimed Shinigami flopped into one of the chairs, narrowed eyes closely watching everyone else. The image of a panther ready to pounce flashed by Heero's mind's eye.

"Have you contacted 03, 04 and 05 yet?"

Heero paused at Duo's soft question, pitched so only he could hear. And he didn't miss Duo's use of their war codenames. "Yes," he replied just as quietly. "They're looking for the two shuttles. And they found out a bit more about the two missing experiments."

"So have I," came a snarled reply. "G is the one helping us, and I can tell that he really didn't know about the human experiments." His eyes narrowed to mere slits. "He managed to rescue one of the girls used but he has no idea how to reverse what was done to her."

Stopping his typing Heero turned to face Duo. "What did you find?"

Duo stayed silent, no expression on his usually versatile face. "They used street kids," he began in a monotone, "for both experiments. The boys went to J and H, the girls to O and S. We've seen what's been done to the boys; the girls didn't have it any easier. They were kept in cages until needed then knocked out and brought to a lab where they were…"

Between clenched teeth Duo hissed, "They turned her into a humanoid cat!" Rage flashed from those deep blue eyes. "The only reason O and S labeled her a failure; their 'test' caused fur to grow over her entire body." With effort he brought himself under control. "The only ones to survive the process were the missing one, Ellie, and the one G saved, Danise."

"What about the new shuttle G built?"

Duo snorted. "Lots of luck trying to find it. Doubt I could even if I had 'Scythe back. No way Quat and the others will." He leaned back, relaxing minutely but still on edge. "Only thing we got going for us is G didn't finish some parts. So we just watch places where those pieces are and we'll find our missing kids. At least they can only find those parts on Earth; I'd hate ta hafta search the entire Sphere for them." He grinned suddenly, eyes dancing with dark humor. "Never thought I'd actually sympathize with OZ."

With a snort Heero turned back and continued working on his terminal. "I've almost hacked through J's security, why don't you work on one of the others? We're to contact Quatre in three hours with an update." A chair scraping against the floor was Duo's only response as he sat down and began working.

—

Quatre waited in the command tower as the shuttle, visible on one of the external cameras, taxied to a stop, outwardly calm. They'd contacted the spaceport and informed them of their plans. The head of security, Anita Winters, was more than happy to assist. Trowa, Wufei and a full team waited to spring the trap. They'd move on Quatre's signal.

Several agonizing minutes later as work in the spaceport continued unchanged, the ramp of the shuttle lowered and the first passenger stepped out.

Anita shivered when she saw Quatre's smile, promising herself she would never have that smile directed at her. "So that's one of them," she surmised, squinting at the monitor, trying to see they person better.

Quatre merely nodded, his gaze trained on the shuttle as he activated the signal. He watched as the agents executed his plan perfectly, catching all of the scientists off guard. An hour later, after thanking both the extra agents and the port security personnel he joined Trowa and Wufei at the detention cells, located in the basement of Preventers HQ.

"They're in individual cells with sound dampeners and white noise generators installed so they can't communicate with each other." Trowa glanced at one door, behind which sat Doktor S, before continuing. "Although they undoubtedly have a backup plan."

"We should wait until Heero and Duo return from their part before questioning them," suggested Wufei. "In the meantime we should take turns watching them."

"I agree. We should also tell the ports they can stand down; as Duo said there is no way we'll catch that other shuttle before it lands." Glancing between the two Quatre continued, "We'll split it into 8 hour watches until Heero and Duo arrive. No one, except us, is allowed down here."

They agreed, Wufei staying for the first watch as the other two went to warn the companies Aaron and Ellie were likely to hit.

—

"Control this is shuttle XF15Z2, we're having problems. Clear the crash and burn strip for us."

"Shuttle XF15Z2 this is Control. Your path is clear. What is the nature of your problem?"

"Small asteroid clipped us; we're hemorrhaging fuel. Also … zzt … system and … zzt …"

"Shuttle XF15Z2 you're breaking up, please repeat."

"… zzt … didn't … zzt … and … zzt … god … zzt …"

"Come in Shuttle XF15Z2."

"… zzt …"

"Come in Shuttle XF15Z2."

The people in the control tower watched with helpless horror as the shuttle, now a flaming mass of metal, slammed into the ground, exploding on impact.

"Carl," Anita Winters asked the co-coordinator in charge, the screams of the sirens barely audible through the massive walls, "did they identify themselves as XF15Z2?"

Carl shook off his shock, forcing himself back. "Yes ma'am. They did. Did you … know anyone on it?"

Anita shook her head. "No, that's not why I asked. Shuttle XF15Z2 vanished six months ago." She turned on one heel, striding to her office; Agents Winner had to be informed.

—

"… and that's what we found," Duo finished filling in Quatre, Wufei and Trowa.

"Remove five uncontrollable weapons and replace them with two they could control." Wufei snorted in contempt. "Yet they lost control of these two as well."

"Not necessarily," countered Quatre. "Both Aaron and Ellie went through all of the programming; perhaps they saw this as the best way to accomplish their goal."

"And now both are on Earth." Trowa frowned slightly, pushing the crash investigation report with a finger. "With the stealth systems aboard why use the remains of that shuttle as cover?"

"Easy," answered Duo. "And if you think about it you'd know why."

"Entry plume, of course. The reason why our Gundams were disguised as meteors." Trowa glanced at one of the locked doors. "So do we bother questioning them now?"

"I don't see a point." Heero walked over to the door Trowa'd glanced at. Gazing through the window he watched Doctor J as the man slept. "They believed their security couldn't be broken, either for their computers or for their lab. That's why they weren't as cautious this time. The chance of there being anything else not on their computers is remote."

"We'll contact Une to get regular guards set up down here; after the week we spent down here we could use a break." Quatre ruefully smiled in apology.

Waving a hand Duo dismissed that apology. "Go get some rest. I'll stop by and see just how good Remoure's security is before hittin' the sack myself. Only one question." He gazed at each of them. "We bunking together or in separate locations?"

"Separately we're too vulnerable yet we don't want to present an opportunity too good to pass up." Staring into the distance Wufei pondered.

"We rotate where we sleep and at least two people are at one location." Still gazing at Doctor J, Heero continued, "I never imagined we'd have to use all of our war training again." The others fell silent as they echoed Heero's sentiments.

Under that small cloud of gloom they left the detention cells, Heero the last to leave. He'd be watching Quatre's back while the Arab slept; Trowa and Wufei doing the same for Duo once he finished his task. As Heero shut the door he automatically swept the room. Satisfied nothing was wrong the door shut behind the former pilots, locking as it closed.

For several minutes, nearly a quarter of an hour, the scene remained unchanged. Then, simultaneously, the indicators on the four security cameras flickered. Immediately the grate for the air system popped open, a figure gracefully dropping down from the ceiling vent. The person, a young girl in what looked like a mini-skirt and simple tanktop, slowly stood up from her crouched landing, a furry belt unwinding from around her waist by itself to hang down the back of her legs, the tip idly flicking back and forth. As she scanned the room her ears, perched atop her head, swiveled independently to catch the minutest of sounds. Satisfied, she padded over to the door Heero had stood at, walking on the balls of her oddly elongated feet.

With seemingly little effort she picked the sophisticated lock, opening the door to Doctor J's cell. As she walked in she flexed one hand, light glinting off slim metallic objects now protruding from the tips of those fingers. A couple of minutes later she reappeared, blood coating that arm to nearly the elbow, so thickly it dripped off in globs, splattering as it hit the floor. This strange girl repeated her actions three more times, opening the doors to the other scientists cells, each time more blood coating her arm as she left the small room.

After the fourth time she went back to underneath the open grate, pulling a rag out from a pocket. Fastidiously cleaning the blood from her arm, she dropped the soaked rag, letting it land with a soft splat. Crouching slightly she leapt up, easily reaching the open grate five feet above her head. Once fully inside a slim arm reached down and pulled the grate shut.

Several minutes passed before the faint click of the outer doors' lock echoed into the gore-filled room. The indicators on the camera flickered once more just as the knob of the outer door turned. Before whoever was on the other side could enter, alarms blared through the building as security reacted.

—

A/N

And the weirdness just keeps growing. We're actually nearing the end of this little fic; I'm kinda sorry to see it come. The story has definitely evolved from my original concept. Maybe I'll tell everyone what the original was in the last note (smirk). And sorry for the delay; RL has intruded. Hopefully it will retreat long enough for me to finish everything.As always, reviews are welcome, especially critiques, any flames will be used to make smores.


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Coming Home  
Author: ShitaeTenshi (shitaetenshi (at) hotmail (dot) com)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing  
General Warnings: some OOC (trying to keep that to a minimum), angst  
Summary: In a race against time the former Gundam pilots try to stop two experiments. But the experiments have their own agenda.  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: post EW  
Pairings: 1+2+3+4+5, 2+H, no romantic relationships (and no whining about it!)

Quick Key  
"blah" speaking  
'blah' thoughts  
_blah_ typing

—

Hooking his computer to the infonet Heero contacted Wufei and Trowa _I trust you've heard what happened_.

_We found out shortly after it happened_, came Trowa's reply.

_That security system was tested and altered until we couldn't break it without a month of planning. For the two of them to subvert it with such ease_… Heero could picture Wufei shaking his head in amazement.

_Then you concur; it was Aaron that hacked the computers and Ellie that physically entered._

_Indeed_, responded Trowa. _Now we have a larger problem. If those two broke the programming which prevented them from killing those four, what will keep them from killing any, or all, of the Ministers?_

_They have either gone rouge as you suggest_, interjected Wufei, _or they were simply taking out a perceived threat._

_If those two have gone rouge_, typed Heero, _then nothing can stop them from getting to anyone. Not unless we manage to find them first._ Wufei and Trowa disconnected shortly after that, promising to keep the former Wing pilot up to date.

—

Scoping out the large facility Duo let out a low whistle. No way would he ever want to break into this place! Yet this facility, with its advanced research and development department, was number one on the list of places Aaron and Ellie would target.

And with what had just happened in the detention cells, the former pilots needed to verify the security of all targets. A part of Duo shuddered, remembering what had been done to those four scientists; another part, the part he called on in battle, gleefully chortled at the beautiful destruction.

He'd still been at HQ, familiarizing himself with the information they had on Remoure's when the alarms went off. He wasn't the first one to reach the cells but he was among that group. Martin, one of the trainees, had been sent to stand guard. Duo found him outside the main door, dry-heaving. At least he'd managed not to interfere with the scene.

Carefully stepping in Duo detachedly surveyed the carnage, amazed the bodies didn't have more wounds. There was only one wound on each of them, a fist-sized hole located just below the ribs. A lump of bloody flesh lay on the floor by each of the deceased scientists. At first he'd assumed it was the flesh from the wound. He almost joined Martin outside when he realized what those lumps actually were and how the scientists had died.

Those lumps of flesh were the scientists' hearts. And they had been removed while the scientists were still alive. Whoever had done this, and Duo had a hunch, had reached up through the stomach, gone under the ribs and cut out the heart. For a brief moment Duo pitied J, S, O and H. The moment passed and with it gone so too the smoldering rage he'd had ever since learning about their experiments.

The others would view this as the two, Aaron and Ellie, going rouge. Duo, however, knew differently. For street rats, whenever an outsider attacked the gang, the gang always retaliated. No matter how few members were left. Aaron and Ellie were taking revenge. And if they retained enough sense of self to get that done, then odds were very good the two weren't out to kill him and the others.

But it didn't hurt to be careful.

'Cameras with heat and motion sensors, an active patrol of each area by paired guards; damn these people are good!' Duo admired their measures even as he tried to find a hole. He knew there was one; after all, no system is perfect. For the second time that night alarms blared at him, confirming his suspicions.

Those two had found the hole he still searched for.

Duo hurried after the guards that had been showing him around, following them to the main hub. There, the chief of security, Izark Polteski, directed his people, sending them all over the facility, fine combing each area as they went. The nighttime nurse was there as well, checking on the guard that had been stationed at the main hub. The poor man had been hit from behind; the force of the blow had slammed his face against the metal table and knocked him momentarily unconscious. Although Duo suspected he wished he were still out of it.

"You'll need stitches but this will hold the wounds closed until we can get you to the emergency room." The nurse finished wrapping the gauze around the injured guards head.

"I'll help with that." Duo quirked a grin, glancing over at Polteski. "If I stay I'll just be in your way."

"My thanks Agent Maxwell." Polteski's deep voice boomed through the confined room. Curiously enough the wounded guard flinched from the sound.

With surprisingly little effort Duo managed to get the wounded guard, Bernstein according to his badge, into his car. On the way to the emergency room Duo questioned Bernstein but the guy never knew what hit him. He checked the guy in and got him to one of the numerous waiting rooms. There Duo left him, stepping out to the hallway to call Heero.

Before he could dial Heero called him. "What happened."

"And a hello to you too Yuy." Duo chuckled at the growl echoing from the earpiece. "Remoure's got hit, like we thought."

"Your location?"

"Hospital. No, I'm not hurt. One of the guards was. Nothing serious, just knocked out. But he slammed his face onto the edge of the table."

"You left the scene?" growled Heero again, audible annoyed.

Duo snorted. "Relax Yuy. I've … dealt with their security chief before. If there's anything to find back there, he'll find it. Look, the doc's on his way over, I'll tell you more later. You … might want to alert the others. Just a feeling but this night isn't over yet."

"Understood." The line went dead just as the doctor, an elderly man with graying hair, reached Duo.

"You're the one that brought," Dr. Smith glanced at the clipboard, "Josef Bernstein in?"

"Yeah. Will it be a problem if I sit in?" The traffic in the hallway flowed around, most people ignoring Duo and Dr. Smith. Only one person, a young girl with masses of curly hair glanced their way, a small wound on her right cheek glistening in the fluorescent lights. As Duo followed the doctor he realized her wound was in the exact same spot as Bernsteins. Yet when he glanced back the girl had vanished.

"Is this your idea of a joke?"

Bolting into the room, Duo skidded to a stop before he could slam into Dr. Smith. There on the bed lay a pile of clothes, the uniform Bernstein had worn. A life-like mask, complete with oozing wound and gauze lay atop the clothes, a bit of paper sticking out from under it.

"Shit!" Duo spun to face the annoyed doctor. "Get all the exits locked now! Nobody leaves unless it's cleared through both an RN and a doctor."

Dr. Smith glared down over the rims of his spectacles. "You can not order a hospital to close its doors to those…"

"Yes I can," Duo snarled, flashing his badge. "Preventer agent Duo Maxwell. You will do as I say. There is a very dangerous person now loose in this building and we need to find her." Duo's eyes widened as realization hit him. "Shit! That girl that passed us in the hallway! Alright, you won't need a total lockdown, just stop that girl." Duo quickly rattled off her description. Dr. Smith had turned far more cooperative once he saw the badge and called the front desk once he had the description. Meanwhile Duo pulled his phone out, calling Remoure's as he fished the slip of paper out from under that mask. Thankfully he managed to get a hold of Polteski. "Your guard is still there."

"Agent Maxwell are you feeling well? Bernstein left with you."

"No he didn't," Duo snarled. "The damned thief left with me. I'm staring at the uniform and mask she wore. Which means she found what she needed. Now find your guard; odds are he's in that room." Duo hung up before Polteski could question him further. He held the note in one hand, having read it while speaking with Polteski. Raking his brains he tried to figure out what her next move would be. His head snapped up as he realized where she would go next just as Dr. Smith finished talking on the phone.

"The orderlies just stopped a girl matching your description except she didn't have any wounds." Dr. Smith frowned in bafflement. "Just what have you brought to this hospital?"

Duo didn't bother answering, racing out of the room and down to the main entrance. The note left under the mask fluttered to the floor. Still puzzled, Dr. Smith picked it up and read it. His puzzlement didn't ease any; in fact, it became worse. Just who was this "02" person and who had they given a lift to?

—

A/N

Many thanks to all reviewers! And most humble apologies for the long silence! I was planning on adding more to this chapter but I figured you'd waited long enough. Just one more chapter and this fic will be done. Sigh. All good things and what not. As always, reviews welcome, especially critiques; all flames will be used to make smores.


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Coming Home  
Author: ShitaeTenshi (shitaetenshi (at) hotmail (dot) com)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing  
General Warnings: some OOC (trying to keep that to a minimum), angst  
Summary: In a race against time the former Gundam pilots try to stop two experiments. But the experiments have their own agenda.  
Rating: R  
Spoilers: post EW  
Pairings: 1+2+3+4+5, 2+H, no romantic relationships (and no whining about it!)

Quick Key  
"blah" speaking  
'blah' thoughts  
/blah/ typing and handsignals

—

Mentally swearing, Trowa deftly maneuvered his motorcycle through the Friday night traffic, Wufei following close behind on his bike. Only two minutes earlier they'd received Duo's call, sending them scrambling to the Saintfluer Hospital. During the three years they'd been with Preventers they'd gotten accustomed to working with a large structure. They'd forgotten their early training; all large organizations can be hampered and penetrated by small groups. That was how they'd won the Eve Wars.

And now Aaron and Ellie were using those same tactics against them. Although something kept nagging at Trowa, something he'd overlooked. He nearly skidded out when he realized it.

Ellie had the perfect opportunity to kill Duo yet she hadn't. The final piece clicked in as a remark Duo had made several months ago came back to him. _'To a street rat, their gang is everything. Harm anyone from the gang and they'll swarm you until you go down. And it won't matter how many you take with you; they won't stop.'_ Somehow the two had retained that through all of their training. Now to make sure those two weren't going to try to take out anyone else.

Before they reached the hospital entrance a slim figure darted out, running towards the nearby club district. Only seconds later Duo followed, racing to catch up. Acting on instinct Trowa and Wufei swerved, moving to block Ellie's escape path.

Wufei, having slightly more time to react, reached her first. Spinning his bike he faced her as she raced towards him.

Ellie skidded, dropping to all fours as she changed her direction, causing Duo, who'd been almost atop her, to instinctively vault over her, nearly slamming into Wufei himself. She quickly took off again, ducking into a nearby alleyway, Trowa now right behind her.

"Get on Maxwell," snapped Wufei, gunning his bike. Before he finished speaking Duo slid on behind him.

"She'll try to lose us in the club district!" Duo shouted over the roar of the engine. "But the shuttle'll be in a more deserted, run down area!"

Grunting softly in acknowledgement, Wufei put his knowledge of the area to use. "I know of two areas that it could be!" He shouted back, taking off. Behind him, Duo called Heero to relay their plan. Ten minutes later the two of them reached the abandoned warehouse, taking up posts atop buildings across the street at opposite corners. Now that they had time they slipped on their headsets, switching on the frequency scrambler. Quatre and Heero had already reached their destination while Trowa still hadn't contacted them.

"Shinigami here. I'm in position. Looks like Alton and I have the prize; the whole back of the building is gone."

"Airlock," Heero reminded Duo, smirking slightly as the other growled. Quatre just shook his head, smiling as he overheard their exchange. Duo had, reluctantly, included that small story when recounting everything they'd learned. For several minutes the four waited and watched, the monotony broken when Trowa called Duo, having finally lost sight of Ellie. Unsure of which location Ellie would head to, or even if they had found the right one, they had him hold position. Half an hour later Duo smirked.

A slight change in the shadows at the mouth of one of the alleys he watched was the only sign that someone had arrived.

"I've got movement," he whispered, acutely aware of Ellie's sensitive ears, if that was indeed who it was. As he watched, a darker shadow slowly, carefully, made its way closer to the opening he'd first noticed. His smirk widened as the figure drew close enough for details to stand out. She'd lost the wig, or taken it off but otherwise she looked just the same. For a handful of minutes nothing moved. With a burst, so fast Duo almost missed it, Ellie dashed into the abandoned building.

"Target has entered the building." Grinning, Duo couldn't help but add, "Looks like I win this one Wing." Heero only growled.

"Shinigami, Alton, hold position. Wing, Heavyarms and I will join you soon. If anything changes…"

"We shall inform you Sandrock," Wufei interrupted. Once more they waited until the other three joined them. During that time nothing stirred inside the warehouse.

Quatre outlined the basic plan: Duo and Trowa would enter through the same opening Ellie had used while Heero, Wufei and himself went through the front. They'd move once Trowa teamed up with Duo.

As Trowa drew closer, Duo signaled for him to shut off his mike. Puzzled, but trusting Duo's reasons, he did so.

"She ain't out ta kill us Tro."

"I realized that."

Sighing in relief, Duo inched out and over the buildings edge. "Glad someone did. How long you think we got til they go in on their own?"

"Three minutes, tops." Trowa copied Duo's actions, ready to drop the short distance. "Shall we go?"

Flashing a grin Duo jumped from the top of the building, landing almost silently on the alley floor, Trowa seconds behind him. They sprinted into the warehouse, dodging to either side the moment they cleared the opening. Thanks to the missing section of the roof, moonlight poured down, providing ample light for them.

One slim, rectangular patch of light, though, did not come from the moon.

Using hand signals to communicate they circled around; or tried to. After Duo had taken three steps he bumped into a very large metal object. Tentatively reaching out he ran his hand across, according to his eyes, open space. Noticing Duo's stillness Trowa carefully inched his way across the open floor, encountering the same obstacle as Duo after ten feet.

'Hol-ee shit. G fuckin' out did himself with this one.' Keeping one hand against the hull Duo made his way to that patch of light, Trowa reaching it first.

/The outer door/ Trowa signaled, having already done a cursory search. As much as he could without being able to see the shuttle.

Arching an eyebrow, Duo silently indicated he'd take point. With a small smile and a slight bow Trowa backed up half a step, leaving Duo plenty of room. Easily slipping through, Duo was unsurprised to find a second door only three feet in front of him, also open. 'Looks like they wanted visitors.' He eased his way through the second airlock door, ears open for any sounds. An irregular clanking of metal on metal echoed from the front. As Trowa joined him that faint noise was drowned out by one far louder, and closer.

The airlock doors slammed shut, locking the agents inside.

—

With a relieved sigh Une leaned back, relaxing for the first time in nine days. She knew those five wouldn't let her down and while the case wasn't fully closed, the most dangerous part was over. All that was left was the paperwork, and Une knew exactly who to give that particular task to. With a smirk she reached for the intercom.

"Sarah, please send Trainee Martin in."

—

"They were nicer about it than I thought they would be. So where should we go now Aaron?"

A strange, synthesized voice sounded through the bridge. "Home."

owari

—

A/N  
And that's it. I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I had a major meltdown and needed to get myself back. I know I left the ending open but I think it's better this way. Many thanks toThursday's Dove and >O.o for your reviews! I might write another story using Aaron and Ellie and look into just how they'll get along with the G-boys, but maybe not. I need to finish some other stories first! As always, reviews welcome, especially critiques; all flames will be used to make smores. "See" you next time!


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